Governor asked to set execution datesLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ attorney general has asked Gov. Asa Hutchinson to set execution dates for eight death row inmates in what would be the state’s first executions in a decade. A spokesman for Attorney General Leslie Rutledge confirmed Tuesday that the request was made. Hutchinson’s spokesman said the governor did not have an immediate timeline for when he would set the dates. The Arkansas Department of Correction purchased enough of the t...

Illinois police seek suspects after officer gunned downFOX LAKE, Ill. (AP) — Law enforcement officials broadened the hunt Wednesday for three suspects in the fatal shooting of a popular veteran police officer in a small northern Illinois community. Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said hundreds of officers were involved in the exhaustive search in Fox Lake following the killing of Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz on Tuesday morning. But to no avail. "That means we're no...

Teen sentenced to jailDANVILLE — A 17-year-old Russellville teenager was sentenced to 180 days in the Yell County Jail after he appeared in Yell County District Court recently. Fifteenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Tatum said in a published report that he decided to file charges against the Russellville teenager as an adult “because of the number of crimes committed.” The juvenile pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of property, two counts of ...

U.S. marshals help Pope in rape arrestThe Pope County Sheriff’s Office wishes to acknowledge the U.S. Marshal Service in the apprehension of Aaron Lyle Riddle on Friday, Aug. 28, 2015. Riddle was wanted in Pope County for two counts of rape of a person less than 14 years of age. Riddle was arrested in Oklahoma and will be extradited to Arkansas after appearing in court for Oklahoma-related charges. Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones would also like to acknowledge our citizens who res...

Authorities seek robbery suspectRussellville Police responded at approximately 9:18 p.m. Saturday night to the 2400 block of East Main Street (Walmart), in reference to an armed robbery. After a preliminary on scene investigation, officers determined the suspect, a white male wearing a camouflage jacket and dark pants, approached a male in the parking lot and robbed him at gunpoint. The suspect left the parking lot on foot heading eastbound. No injuries were reported at the ...

CD shop owner accused in $2 million scheme with shoplifting addictsPITTSBURGH — A record store owner is charged with using heroin addicts to shoplift more than $2 million worth of books, videos, and other products that he then resold online. Anthony Cicero, 50, of East Pittsburgh, has been charged with running a corrupt organization out of his Slipped Disc record store in Oakland, a trendy Pittsburgh neighborhood home to The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. The investigation stretches ...

Suspect in ambush of Houston-area deputy due in courtHOUSTON — Texas prosecutors on Saturday charged a 30-year-old man with capital murder in the killing of a uniformed sheriff's deputy who was gunned down from behind while filling his patrol car with gas in what officials described as a "senseless and cowardly act." The arrest of Shannon J. Miles — who has a criminal history that includes convictions for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct with a firearm — came less than 24 hours after auth...

Teacher, pastor defuse class hostage situationBy JONATHAN MATTISE PHILIPPI, W.Va. — A West Virginia preacher, a teacher and police helped persuade a 14-year-old boy to free 27 fellow students he held at gunpoint in a high school classroom Tuesday, a standoff that ended without a single shot fired, authorities and the pastor said. No one was hurt in the hostage-taking drama that rocked Philip Barbour High School on the ninth day of the school year in the small Appalachian town of Philippi,...

Suspect accused of killing state trooper charged in 2nd deathLAKE CHARLES, La. — A man accused of killing a state trooper is now implicated in another shotgun death, Louisiana authorities said. Kevin Daigle, 53, was booked Wednesday with second-degree murder in the death of Blake Brewer, 54, of Moss Bluff, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Sheriff Tony Mancuso did not know when Brewer died, spokeswoman Kim Myers said. Investigators “firmly believe” the same gun was used to kill ...

Memories, tears mark newscast a day after on-air shootings ROANOKE, Va. — A day after two journalists were slain on live television, their colleagues at a Virginia morning newscast returned to the air with memories, tears and a determination to carry on the victims' dedication to the news. The emotional crescendo of WDBJ-TV's "Mornin'" show on Thursday came when two anchors and a weatherman joined hands to mark a moment of silence at 6:45 a.m., 24 hours after the shooting. "We are approaching a moment...

Former bank CEO pleads guilty to fraudFAYETTEVILLE — A former Arvest Bank executive has pleaded guilty in a Fayetteville federal court to one count of bank fraud. Fifty-two-year-old H. Dennis Smiley Jr. pleaded guilty Tuesday. The former CEO of Arvest Bank of Benton County was accused of using his stock in the bank as collateral to borrow money from about 20 banks. Smiley resigned from the bank in March 2014. A sentencing date has not been set.

Exposure suspect caughtA Clarksville man was arrested on suspicion of sexual indecency with a minor following a report he exposed himself to school children on Monday. After receiving a tip from a local citizen, investigators with the Russellville Police Department (RPD) interviewed Joshawa White, 31, of Clarksville. After the interview, White was placed under arrest and transported to the Pope County Detention Center on suspicion of several counts of sexual indecen...

Boy pleads not guilty in death of guardiansCONWAY — A 14-year-old boy from central Arkansas pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of capital murder in the July 21 shooting deaths of a couple who raised him as their grandson. Wearing jail garb and shackled at the waist, Justin Staton did not speak during Tuesday’s arraignment in Faulkner County Circuit Court. He is charged as an adult in the killing of Robert and Patricia Cogdell, both 66. The Cogdells were found shot to death at the...

Circuit clerk's office out of compliance with Arkansas lawJONESBORO — The Craighead County Circuit Clerk's office likely has been in violation of an Arkansas law that deals with juvenile court records for the last 25 years, according to Circuit Clerk Candace Edwards. Under the state law enacted in 1989, the records must be expunged on a juvenile's 21st birthday unless certain criteria are met, The Jonesboro Sun (http://bit.ly/1JjpP4q ) reports. Edwards told the Craighead County Quorum Court on Monday...

2 men held without bail for alleged threats to Pokemon event BOSTON — Two men from Iowa made online threats against Pokemon competitors — referring to the Boston Marathon bombings and the Columbine High School massacre — then drove 25 hours to Boston, where they were stopped as they tried to register for the World Pokemon Championships, police said Monday. Kevin Norton, 18, of Ames, Iowa, and James Stumbo, 27, of Boone, Iowa, were ordered held without bail on gun charges Monday pending a dangerousness h...

RPD investigates indecent exposureRussellville Police Department officers responded to the report of an indecent exposure at approximately 3:20 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Knoxville Avenue and East Main Street. Officers determined after a preliminary on scene investigation that a male driving a white Chrysler Sebring exposed himself to students on a Russellville School District bus. The driver was wearing a bandana or a mask covering his face. Students informed the bus ...

Woman gets 10-year probation sentence in sex assault case TEXARKANA — A woman has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage boy while she served as a youth leader at a Texarkana church. The Texarkana Gazette (http://bit.ly/1WQ2JcO ) reports that 29-year-old Victoria Rose Nash pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of sexual assault of a child by a person in a position of authority. As part of a plea agreement, she was sentenced to a 10-year probation term. She also must register as a sex offende...

Arkansas judge arrested, charged with domestic batteryLONOKE — Police say a judge in central Arkansas faces charges after he assaulted his girlfriend at a home in Lonoke. Joe O'Bryan was arrested Friday night on a charge of third-degree domestic battery and has been released on a $620 bond. O'Bryan was first elected in 1990 as a judge in Cabot District Court. The director of the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission has filed a complaint against him. Attempts to contact O'Bryan by the Ark...